Look up! Linger... Listen. And, learn... for a lifetime.

While I am not really what one would consider a football fan (and after having lived overseas that includes what we on this side of the world call soccer), but in my life I have tuned in to a game or two and get the general gist of the game. Prior to Super Bowl weekend this year, I have had only two memorable football-watching moments in my life. One year, many years ago, I plopped myself in front of the TV and barraged myself with college “Bowl” games. And, my first year in Kabul, we were able to get a live satellite connection of a game, which caused dozens of expatriates to gather in the basement of one of our team houses in the middle of the night and savor the sport and enjoy the camaraderie of one another). These were obviously very different experiences – one I watched completely alone, the other I was one witness of many with the complete Super Bowl celebration.

This year, I will probably chalk up as a third fabulous football experience, the first (and maybe the last) I will share with my husband, who is not a football fan either. We tuned in this year, though, not because of the competition but because of the commercials. As it happened, the game was great and worth watching, but the commercials were our (well, mostly my) primary focus.

Seated on the sofa, I sought something that stirred me, something that not only caught my eye but also kept it. There were several commercials that made me look at my husband and go, “Hmmmm…??” but few caused me to connect intellectually or emotionally, two qualities I believe are crucial in order to call something compelling. The only ones that came close for me were the Volkswagen “Punch Dub” commercial and the Budweiser Clydesdale “Fences” commercial (Note: I erroneously referred to this commercial as “Clydesdale Training” in my FB post, but… that commercial from 2008 was “compelling,” too).

As I went back and watched, it was interesting for me to see that the cinematic styles of these two commercials were quite different. The Volkswagen commercial was fast paced, which quick, sharp transitions from frame to frame and back and forth between the product and faces. The music was light and airy with the whir of passing cars causing me to look up from my computer (I was multi-tasking for most of the game, composing posts and trying to get a start on my video). Of course, when it became evident that the commercial was a cross-section or the cars and communities and “kids” of all ages playing the PunchDub game, I couldn’t help but smile. I thought it was a clever way to connect with… everyone. Who hasn’t played that game at one time or another? At this point, of course, sentiment entered in.

Sentiment was a key factor in the Budweiser Clydesdale “Fences” commercial, as well, capitalizing on the power of friendship. Unlike the VW commercial, though, sentiment and story were conveyed in slow, scenic cuts. Whimsical music and animal sounds were again the initial attention getters, with an equally effective result. I was forced to look up and watch.

How do we get our students to do the same? What will make them look up and listen? In thinking about this, I am reminded of one of my former colleagues, one of the most exuberant individuals I have ever met. As assemblies, with one single word, he could capture the attention of an entire audience of kids (grades 4-6), and keep them transfixed for a good 20 minutes. While assemblies tended to be focused on character development, he would find a way to illuminate the character trait of the month in the minds of the students by shining a spotlight on an historical individual. He would then weave a story so wonderful that all, students and teachers, would be hanging on every word. After a few minutes, we would forget we were learning, but by the end we would walk away with a character trait, a context, and a curiosity to learn more about the man, woman, or event described in detail. These were compelling experiences.

In order to design a compelling experience, we must attend to the elements that cause us and our students to:

Look up!

Linger…

Listen.

And… learn… for a lifetime!